Just got a Ball python

[Hellvane]

Well at the Sacramento Reptile expo, I purchased a ball python, it was spur of the moment, it was a male about a foot or longer, named him Gossamer. I have him in a 20gal long, he's hiding in a coconut shell has been since I got him. I read that they need at least 2 weeks to acclimate, so i havent much been doing anything with him. I have an infared lamp above his tank and the area I've put him is very stable and gets very little light. I was wondering about what I should do for him to make him comfortable. I have pinkies frozen in the freezer, I'm wondering if I thaw them before I feed them to him. I was told to feed him once, or twice a week depending on how fast I want him to grow. I'm also wondering if, when he gets bigger, I should build up rather than out so that he can climb.

[Skittles1101]

There's so much going on in this thread already, and I don't blame you since it was a spur of the moment buy. So I strongly advise you to read over this caresheet thoroughly.

[Daigga]

I wouldn't worry about getting a higher home, as BP's seem to like it best lower on the ground and/or tucked away in a hide. Security and all that.

Yes, you thaw the food before you give it to the snake, they won't take it cold and I don't think it would be very good for them even if they did. I thaw my feeders by leaving them out for about an hour and then feeling to make sure there aren't any cold spots in the chest. When you say pinky, I'm assuming you mean rats? Pinky mice are much too small, even for baby BP's, and if that's all you have you'll end up feeding two pinkies every feeding day just to keep the weight up.

For babies, I believe feeding once every 3-5 days is what's recommended. My younger snakes refuse food if I offer it more than once every 7 days but maybe yours will be less fussy. Feel free to offer food sooner than 2 weeks, as they sometimes take it fairly quickly. Holding off on handling for now is probably still a good idea, though.

[Jessimica]

Please please make sure that the mouse is fully thawed throughout before you feed it to your snake. Failing to do so can seriously harm your snake, including severe brain damage.